Vehicle-wheel bearing mechanism.



"G. P. UMHOLTZ. VEHICLE WHEEL BEARING MEGHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAE.23,190B.

Patented June 22, 1909.

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CLARENCE F. UMHoLTz, or BRISTOL. VIRGINIA. i'

VEHICLE-WI'LEEL BEARING IBCEGHANISM.

Specification ofv Letters Patent.

Application filed March 23, 1908. Serial'No. 422,777.'

To all whom t may concern.'

Be -it known that I, CLARENCE, F.. UM- HoLTZ, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Bristol, in the county of fashington and `*tate of Virginia. have invented a new and useful Vehicle-Wheel Bearing Mechanism, of which the following is a. specification.

This invention relates more especially to improvements in the bearing mechanism ofv the steering ivheels for self-propelled vehicles, and is in the nature of an improvement on the structure disclosed in copending ap-v plication, Serial Xo. 390,988, tiled Aug. 190i'.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a novel. and simple bearing tthat is very compact in its character, is constructed of parts that are readily accessible, and is so arrangedthat the wheels will not only not be thrown to one side when they meet. obstructions, but will be maintained in their position straight ahead. and will automatically return to said positions after they have been turned to one side or the other b v the steering mechanism.

Tivo embodiments of .the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings,`

wherein Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through. a wheel and its bearing showing the preferred form of construction. F ig. 2 is la view in elevation of the vbearing mechanism looked at from the inner side. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional vieuthrough a portion`r of the bearing. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through a` slightly modified form of construction. f f' Similar reference numerals designate correspondingv parts in all the figures of the drawings.

-Referring first to the embodiment Adis- `closed in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a portion of the front aXle of a vehicle is shown, and is designated The axle terminates in a4 head 6,-, having an opening 7' therethrough. lThis head as will be clear by reference to Fi ."2,

is disposed at an inclination to the vertical,

and its top and bottom Yfaces are flat, .A bearing washer 8 is located against the lower,` face, and a collar 9 surrounds the head, and is provided with diametrically opposite bosses 10 bearing against the top face of the.y head and against thewasher 8.-. The collar 9 is provided with diainetrically 'opposite openings y11 alined withthe openings-7, and passing through the upper opening, is a i Patented .runs-aa, r:1909.

pivot 12 that passes thx-oui" the bossesa'ndv through the head. It will enoted by referv ence vto Fig. 2 that this,I ivot, and conse? quently the'axis upon w ich the collar 9 turns, is disposed at. an inclination tothe perpendicular, the pivot being downwardlyv and forwardly incllned.

Thecollar. 9 is provided with a. peri heralstop shoulder 13, and mounted en sald col'- lar is an inner bearing ring 14, theri ving abutted against the shoulder ,13, and surrounding the ivot l2. This ring is provided with a ball) race 15, and said ring is held in place by a retaining ringl threaded upon the outer end ofthe ycollar and abutting against the ring. The retaining ring 16 is normally held againstrotation on the collar by a screw 17 passingy through vthei retaining ring andengaged in the end of the collar. The retaining ring has lan inwardly extending flange 18, and 'interposed between` said flange and the outer end of the collar 9 "f f yis a closure disk 19.

The'wheelvis designated as a whole by the lreference",in ime'ral 20', and includesa hub `21 that .is `journaled on the collar 9.' This hub is provided with an internal stop .shoulder 22, and located within the' hub, is anV outer bearing ring ,comprising sections 23.

The outer bearin ring is abutted against the shoulderl 22," and 1s held in place by a retaining and adjusting ring 24 threaded into` the outerend of thehub and normally held against rotation on the hub by a screw 25.

i osed between the inner and outer bearing rings are antlfrlction devices 1n the form Aof balls 25a. The retaining rings v16 and 24 Aare normally covered by a cap 26 threaded upon the'v hub, as shown. `This cap excludes. a l

dirtiand -dust from the bearing. The

joint between-the inner'endof the collar 9- and hub is t'closedlhy a; acking ring 2T seatecl'n 28 forme in the hub `and collar. 4Thi*Si.C'fflllli-l".alsohas a suitable arm 30 on itsrfinnerlend-to which the steeringf,

gear liseo'une'eted=.-

A nioiifcationl ofthe invention is d-isf closedfr ig.14.' In this structure, lthe axle 31 is 'provided witha head 32, and the, collar 33, pivfoted to vthe .head by an inclined screw 34, basan extension in the form ofa spindle 35. Anlvinner bearing ring 36, composed.' of sections, is tted upon the collar, and Asura retaining-ring normally held against borne against' a-fiange 29 carried by the 10,0, I

f movement by a screw 37a. An outer bearing ring 38 is iitted' Within the hub 39 of .the

f 41ov tra ly of the wheel.

l Fig. 4 is extended outwardly, as shown at# 42,'to surround thespindle extension 35 of abutted against shoulders 44 and 45. "inner bearing ringis held in vplace by a wwheel, and Aabuts against a shoulder formed lin said hub. Antifriction balls 4l` are interposed betweenthe innerand outer bearing rings. 'It will 'be noted, that, as in the irst described embodiment, this form of structure discloses the inner vand outer bearing rings, the balls and the pivot as being dis osed in a vertical plane extending cen- The hub 39 of the structure disclosed in the collar', and. cooperating inner and outer :bearing r1 ngs.43 are respectively arranged on the spindle 35 and extension 42, being The ,washer 46 and a nut 47 that is threaded on the end of the spindle 35 and abuts against .the Washer. The-outer 'bearing lringis re` tained in place-by a ring 48 threaded into the ,outer end of the extension 42 and secured by a screw 48. Balls 49 are arranged j between theinner and outer bearing rings,

and a cap 50, threaded upon the head extension 42, covers the 'bearings and the adjustin devices. 'l' w here are decided advantages for the structure disclosed. 'In the lirstplace, the pivots in the centers of the wheels and the inclination v'of said pivots insure that the wheels-will maintain their straight-ahead position, and atthe same time produce a structure `that is of' a very simple character.

, Moreover thewheels inclinethemselves on a .A curveand there is no road strain on the steering; gear when moving in a straight line.

Furthermore'there is no jar'on said steering .gear from obstructions in the road. An aditional advantage resides in the ease ot' con- 'trol of'the,steering-mechanism and the imv possibility "of losing "control of the sanieV urthermore when moving'on'a curve, the

- body ofthe car'is not inclined torun over the wheels.V Thus danger lof accident is reduced to a minimum.

A From the foregoing, it isl thought that the construction, operation and inany advantages of .the hereindescribed invention will .be a parent to those skilled in the art, Without urther description, and it will be'under- .stood that various changes in the size, shape, j proportion, and minor details of construe-- tion, may be resorted tofwithout depart-ing l:from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Havin thus fully described my invention,

what I c aim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is i 1. In mechanism of the character set forth, thecombination ot an axle, a' collar arranged on the'end of the axle, a pivot piercing the axle and the collar and .located within lthe periphery of the latter, a hub surrounding the collar and provided with an linternal shoulder, anti-friction devices interposed between the collar and the hub, a bearing ring for the said devices located within the hub and abutting against the shoulder thereof, said hub having its outer end interiorly and extei'iorly threaded, a holding ring threaded into the hub and abutting against the outer side of the bear# ing ring, and a cap threaded'on the exterior of the hub and coverin itsouter end.

2. 'In mechanism cig forth, the combination of an axle, a collar arranged on the axle and having a shoulder,

the character set' a pivot piercing the axle and the collar, a

hub surrounding the collar and having an internal shoulder, an inner bearing ring detachably iittedon the collar and surrounding the pivot and abutting against the shoulder of the collar,4 an outer bearing ring fitted Within the hub and abutting against the shoulderthereof, one of said bearing rings .-being sectional and the other bearing ring bein in one piece, balls interposed between the caring rings, an inner retaining ring -threaded on thev collar and engaging the outer sectional bearing ring fitting Within the liub and abutting4 against the shoulder, means mounted on the hubtor securing the bearing'ring in place, an inner bearing ring arranged on the collar, balls interposed betweenthe bearing rings, the innerbearing ring being in one piece and removable from the collar'witli the hub, whereby the bearing may be removed intact with the wheel.

` 4. v In mechanism of th'e character set lforth, the 'combination ot'an axle, a collar arranged on the axle and having a shoulder, a hub surrounding the collar'having an internal'shoulder, an outer sectional bearing rinor fitted within the hub and abutting 2; against the shoulder thereof, an outer re- `taining ring mounted on the hub and bearing against the op osite side of the bearing ring to that which ears against. the shoulder of the hub, an inner one-piece bearing ring f' u ntted against the shouldei of thecollar, balls interposed between the bearing rings,- and an .inner detachable retaining ring mountedon the collar and securing the innerbearing ring thereon and adapted to permit the same 4to 'be detached therefrom,vwhereby the bearing may be removed intact with the wheel. 5. In mechanism of the character set llO :5 "abutting against the shoulder, a retainingf ring mounted onv vthe collar and engaging the inner bearingring and provided with an inwardly extendingange, balls interposed,

"between the hub and the inner bearing ring,

10A 'and a `closure disk fitted between the collar and the inwardly' extending flange of the retaining ring. A

j 6.' In mechanism of the character set. forth, the eo1nbi1iation"'of .an axle, a collar 'arranged Yon the axle and having an inner stop-shoulder, a pivot piercing the axleand the collar a located Within the periphery I n inner bearing ring mounted .and having one side abutie shoulder, a retaining ring he collar and abutting against the `other side of the bearing ring to holdit inV place, a device .for securing the retaining ring against rotation, va hub surrounding the collar and provided with theinternal lshoulder, an outer bearing ring fitted Within the hub and having one side bearing against the shoulder thereof, a retaining ring threaded into the hub and abutting against the other side of the outer bearing rlng, balls interposed between the bearing rings and located in the plane of the '-pivot, and a cap i threaded on the hub'l and covering the retaining ring. y

4In testimony, that I clann the foregolng `asnajy own, I have hereto affixed my signature inthe presence of two Witnesses CLARENCE F. UMHoLTz.

Vitnesses A. H. BLANCHARD,

UMHoLTz. 

